Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle, the last English teams standing in European club competition this season, avoided each other in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal draw on Friday.

Newcastle, which saw off Russian giant Anzhi Makhachkala in the Round of 16, probably received the toughest draw after being paired with Portuguese giant Benfica.

Reigning European Champions League champ Chelsea, which came from behind twice to defeat Steaua Bucharest 3-2 in its Round of 16 series, will not be happy about having to travel to Central Russia to play Rubin Kazan, especially with the schedule pile-up the club faces next month.

Finally, Tottenham, which squeaked past Inter Milan, winning 4-4 thanks to the away goals rule, will play Swiss champion FC Basel. ... Turkish giant Fenerbahce meets Serie A giant Lazio in the last quarterfinal.